 Anchor Bay Entertainment // Buy from Amazon.comMike, a young teenage boy who has just lost his parents, is afraid to lose his brother. This fear causes him to follow his brother to a funeral, where Mike witnesses the Tall Man lift a coffin on his own. Mike decides to investigate and discovers a horrible world where the Tall Man, along with his flying spheres, shrink the to half their normal size and reanimate them as slaves. It is then up to Mike, his brother, and Reggie the ice cream man to stop the Tall man. I vividly remember the first time I saw "Phantasm" - it wasn't all that long ago, being one of the first rentals I picked up when I developed a new fondness for horror & cult flicks about 10 years ago. Needless to say, and just like everyone who has never before beared witness to The Tall Man or the fury of the flying spheres, I was blown away by this film, as it is truly unlike any other film ever made. Scary, yes, zingy with the witty barbs? Natch. But an otherwordly alien predator in the shape of a giant funeral parlor director, and flying silver spheres with jagged blades attached as the central method of destruction is truly a watershed moment in the history of schlock. I can only imagine what the first person to read this script thought when the first description of the first scene with the first balls unfolded - how bizarre, how bizarre... What the film has in spades is atmosphere -- weirdness aside (and don't get it twisted: I love the weirdness), there is an inherent creepiness to this film that is constant -- Coscarelli really milked everything he could out of this low-budget production and his enthusiastic actors, and the end result is a film that defines characterization, busts through criticism, and continues to have legions of devoted fans to this day. Anchor Bay kicks off their new "Anchor Bay Collection" with this release, and a fine debut it is. They've given this film a gorgeous remastering that makes this release head & shoulders above the previous MGM release, and even the stellar Anchor Bay UK release (as part of the full series collection that we'd love to see get a Region 1 release here - hello, Anchor Bay, you listening?) The amount of extras included are stellar, making this a first-rate, must-own DVD through and through. Don't wait - run, and buy it! Video DAMN! Anchor Bay has seen fit to give this beloved cult classic a brand new remastering and the end results are breathtaking. The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer here is razor-sharp, crisply-detailed, full of warmth and richness, and only the slightest grain evident in fleeting scenes. Unbelievable job - this film has never looked better! Audio New to this release is a DTS 5.1 surround mix, and it's noticably boomier in the back section once those spheres start flying around! Fantastic. Extras Closing Thoughts Gorgeous remastering of this beauty + BOATLOADS of extras = definitive edition of this must-have film! |
